Ngohiong in Cebu: What It Is, How to Order It and What It Costs
Ngohiong is Cebu's five-spice fried roll of ubod and pork. What it is, how to order it and what it costs: ₱15 a piece, checked October 2026.
₱15 a roll at the Ngohiong Express counter in Hipodromo, checked at 8:30 PM on a Thursday in October 2026, with the trays still full.
Ngohiong is Cebu‘s own fried roll. A lumpia wrapper is packed with shredded ubod or singkamas and a little ground pork, seasoned hard with five-spice, battered and deep-fried, then eaten with a sweet chili dip and puso. At ₱15 a piece, it is one of the cheapest things you can eat on a Cebu street corner.
10.3130° N, 123.9094° E · Hipodromo, Cebu City
What ngohiong is
The name comes from the Hokkien dish ngo hiang, and the “ngo” is the five in five-spice: star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fennel and Sichuan pepper. In Cebu the dish turned into something closer to lumpia. The filling is mostly vegetable, usually ubod (heart of palm) or singkamas (jicama), with ground pork or shrimp for flavor. The wrapped roll is dipped in batter before it hits the oil, which is why a good one comes out lumpy and golden instead of smooth.
It is not kikiam, and it is not the “tempura” sticks sold from carts. Both are fish paste. Ngohiong is a roll you can see vegetables in when you bite it.
Cebu City
One roll, taken apart
Pick a part.
The ngo
Five spices
From the Hokkien ngo hiang. Ngo is five: star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fennel and Sichuan pepper.
Mostly vegetable
Filling
Usually ubod, heart of palm, or singkamas, jicama, with ground pork or shrimp for flavor.
Why it is lumpy
Wrap and batter
The wrapped roll is dipped in batter before frying, which is why a good one comes out lumpy and golden instead of smooth.
Not fish paste
Not kikiam
Kikiam and cart tempura sticks are fish paste. Ngohiong is a roll you can see vegetables in when you bite it.
₱15
Price
₱15 a piece at Ngohiong Express in Hipodromo, checked 29 October 2026. Three rolls is ₱45.
Suroy.ph, Ngohiong Express Hipodromo, 29 October 2026.
How much ngohiong costs
₱15 a piece at Ngohiong Express in Hipodromo, checked 29 October 2026. Three rolls is ₱45. On the same shelf, fried siomai is 2 for ₱25 and bola-bola is ₱16 a piece. The full price list is in our Ngohiong Express menu and prices guide.
How to order and eat it
Ngohiong is fried ahead and stacked in the glass case, so ordering is pointing. Say how many, add puso or rice, and pay at the counter before you sit. At Ngohiong Express the sign on the counter says it plainly: pay as you order. Eat it with your hands and dip as you go.
Bring a little cash anyway. The Hipodromo counter takes GCash, but its sign says GCash to GCash only, so a transfer from a bank app or another wallet will not work there.
Where to eat ngohiong in Cebu City
Ngohiong Express. The chain is the easy answer, because it is everywhere and the branches across the city list 24-hour hours. The Hipodromo branch on Mactan Street, off the Ayala access road, was open and serving at 8:30 PM on a Thursday, with a few red plastic tables on the sidewalk out front.
The names Cebuanos argue about. Ask around and two older places come up: Doming’s in Guadalupe and Chinese Ngohiong on Junquera Street, near the USC downtown campus. Neither was part of this run, so no prices, hours or verdicts are listed here yet. They will be once they have been visited.
Ngohiong is also a regular at pungko-pungko stalls, where it sits beside fried intestines and lumpia. For the rest of the late-night Cebu table, see larang, tuslob buwa and the Visayan food words worth knowing before you order.
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Ngohiong FAQ
What is ngohiong made of?
A lumpia wrapper filled with ubod or singkamas and ground pork or shrimp, seasoned with five-spice, battered and deep-fried.
How much is ngohiong in Cebu?
₱15 a piece at Ngohiong Express, checked 29 October 2026.
Is ngohiong the same as kikiam?
No. Both names come from the Hokkien ngo hiang, but in the Philippines kikiam means a fish-paste stick. Ngohiong is a battered vegetable and pork roll.
How do you pronounce ngohiong?
Ngo-hyong, said fast. Plenty of Cebuanos spell it ngoyong.
Where can I eat ngohiong late at night?
Ngohiong Express branches across Cebu City list 24-hour hours, and the Hipodromo branch was serving at 8:30 PM on a Thursday.
